Ukraine and Germany intensify cooperation in energy efficiency and green recovery in communities

Pursuing climate policy, the implementation of modern energy-efficient technologies, and community reconstruction were key topics during a meeting between Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine, Minister for Communities and Territories Development, and Carsten Schneider, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety.

“For Ukraine, climate policy, energy efficiency, and reconstruction are links in a single chain of sustainability. russian aggression has caused massive damage to infrastructure, so we are rebuilding the country directly to European standards—with an emphasis on energy efficiency and modern technologies. Our shared priority is green recovery: rebuilding with consideration for the economy, the environment, and community development. I thank the German government for its support and partnership,” said Oleksii Kuleba.

One of the priorities of the cooperation is the Renewable Energy Solutions (RES) program with a grant of EUR 16.5 million disbursed for this purpose. This involves energy-efficient solutions for educational and medical institutions, enabling them not only to meet their electricity needs but also to feed surplus solar energy into the grid. The possibility of scaling up this initiative, particularly to frontline communities, is currently being considered.

The meeting also included discussions on strengthening the institutional capacity of communities. In the year since the launch of the Building Database, over 10,000 properties have been registered, complete with detailed descriptions of their energy performance. Eight Energy Innovation Hubs have also been established, and more than a thousand community representatives have already received training on how to effectively use the state monitoring system.

In addition, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development is preparing to launch a dedicated IT platform for the Energy Efficiency Fund, with the aim of digitizing the application process and significantly simplifying access to financial grants for housing associations.

Special attention during the dialogue was given to the development of distributed generation. The installation of heat pumps, solar stations, and energy storage systems for social infrastructure is critically important for the survival of communities amid constant attacks on the power grid. In this regard, Ukraine is counting on further resource mobilization within the E5P fund.

Also on the agenda is waste management reform. Over 1,300 specialized facilities and hundreds of pieces of equipment have been damaged due to hostilities. Drawing on Germany’s experience in this area will help build a modern system for processing debris and household waste.